The Cut: Meyer Lemon

Meyer Lemons. They are the smaller, orange-tinted, more expensive cousins of standard lemons. The reason for the color difference? A Meyer Lemon is thought to be a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. They were introduced to the United States only in 1908 by Frank Nicholas Meyer, an employee of the United States Department of Agriculture who collected a sample of the plant on a trip to China.¹ Meyers were never commercially popular because of their thin skins, high juice content, and sweet flavor. 

The less acidic, floral flavor these lemons produce works wonderfully with all types of dishes in the kitchen. From salads to desserts, Meyers can offer a different flavor profile to traditional lemons. I love to use the zest on fresh summer pastas or the juice in sweet salad dressings. For a little extra at the grocery store, you can truly bring a new dimension to an old recipe. 


To learn more about the history of the Meyer Lemon, listen to an NPR interview on the fruit below:




1 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100778147&ft=1&f=1053